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Page 18 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 13, 2019 SUBSCRIBE TO MASSTERLIST – IT’S FREE! Join more than 17,000 other people from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens who start their morning with a copy of MASSterList! MASSterList is a daily ensemble of news and commentary about the Legislature, Politics, Media and Judiciary of Massachusetts drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced editor Jay Fitzgerald. Jay introduces each article in his own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. Go to: www.massterlist.com/ subscribe and type in your email address and in 15 seconds you will be signed up for a free subscription. With no strings attached. THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call looks at the handful of major legislation that was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker so far in 2019. In the first eight months of the 2019 session, only 69 bills out of more than 6,200 filed have been approved by the House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker. Twenty-six of those were local bills dealing with an individual city or town and 28 were on sick leave banks for individual state workers. Sick leave banks allow employees to voluntarily donate sick, personal or vacation days to a pool for use by ill fellow state workers so they can get paid while on medical leave. Eleven other bills ranged from supplemental budgets and extending simulcast racing to regulating appraisal management companies and establishing a restaurant promotion commission. The remaining four were major bills that were debated and came to a roll call vote in both branches and were signed into law by Gov. Baker. Here they are: $43.3 BILLION FISCAL 2020 STATE BUDGET (H 4000) House 159-0, Senate 39-1, approved and Gov. Baker signed into law a $43.3 billion fiscal 2020 state budget. The package raises spending by $1.6 billion, or 4 percent over fiscal 2019. In an unusual move, Gov. Charlie Baker signed the fiscal 2020 state budget into law without vetoing any of the $43.3 billion in spending approved by the House and Senate. Beacon Hill Roll Call talked to several Statehouse veterans and not one could remember any other time in the last four decades that the governor did not veto funding in the budget. Just last year, Baker vetoed $48.9 million from a $41.7 billion budget. “The lieutenant governor and I and the secretary [of Administration and Finance] and a lot of our team spent a lot of time talking about the line item stuff, and basically came to the conclusion that this budget is balanced,” said Baker when he signed the bill. “We’re obviously going to pay a lot of attention to what happens to revenues in the first two quarters of the year because we did have a lot of volatility in the revenue base for 2019. So we’re going to work pretty hard to pay attention not just to the revenue side but also the spending side going forward.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino Sen. Jason Lewis Yes Yes Yes REPEAL CAP ON WELFARE BENEFITS FOR KIDS (S 2186) House 155-1, Senate 37-3, overrode Gov. Baker’s veto of a bill that repeals the current law that denies an additional $100 in welfare benefits to children conceived while—or soon after—the family began receiving welfare benefits, or if they had received family welfare benefits in the past. The law was adopted in 1995 as part of a welfare reform package that was aimed at discouraging families already receiving public support from having more children. “Eliminating the family cap should be accompanied by other reforms to the [welfare] program designed to align the eligibility determination with federal standards and support recipients as they return to work,” said Gov. Baker in his veto message. Supporters of the repeal said that there are some 8,700 children who currently fall under the cap in the Bay State. These families are barred from receiving an additional $100 a month to help support that child. They said there are no facts to back up the charge that families are having more children in order to get the additional $100. (A “Yes” vote is for repealing the cap. A “No” vote is against repealing it.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino Sen. Jason Lewis Yes Yes Yes BAN CONVERSION THERAPY FOR ANYONE UNDER 18 (H 140) House 148-8, Senate 34-0, approved and Gov. Baker signed into law a bill that would prohibit psychiatrists, psychologists and other health care providers from attempting to change the sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression of anyone under 18. Conversion therapy exposes the person to a stimulus while simultaneously subjecting him or her to some form of discomfort. The therapy is primarily used to try to convert gays and lesbians to be straight. Mental health experts and LGBTQ groups charge that the practice is scientifically unproven and unsound and can trigger ~ Home of the Week ~ SAUGUS MAGNIFICENT, Custom Colonial boasts 9 rms, 4 bedrms, 3 1/2 baths, gourmet kitchen w/top-of-the-line Viking, stainless appliances, granite counters, backsplash & peninsula w/ seating, dining area, wine cooler, butler’s pantry leading to formal diningrm, elegant columns leading to familyrm w/gas fireplace surrounded by white brick, custom stairway leading to 4 bedrms, custom double door entry to great room w/custom ceiling, master suite offers out-of-a-magazine bathroom w/two granite vanities, whirlpool surrounded by custom granite, oversized shower w/two shower heads & walk-in closet, 2 bedrms w/Jack ‘n’ Jill bathroom, convenient 2nd flr laundry rm, Brazilian hardwood flooring throughout, automatic shades, crown molding, INCREDIBLE, custom woodwork & ceilings, central air (2 units), security system, covered deck, 3 car gar, LL studded, ready to finish w/walk-out to custom patio,desirable Stonecliffe Heights! Great in & out!! You won’t be disappointed! Welcome Home to 5IronWorks Way.com. Offered at $1,049,900 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com Malden Library to host author Joseph Bebo J oseph Bebo, author of Alex A Lesson in Courage, will be giving a lecture on Tuesday, September 24 from 7–8 pm at the Malden Public Library. Bebo’s book tells the true story of a Malden boy with special needs named Alex, as told by his parents, his teachers, coaches, friends, neighbors, a high school principal, and the mayor of a city. It demonstrates how inclusion can change not only the life of someone with special needs, but the lives of everyone involved. It’s a story about courage, acceptance, and overcoming adversity. Alex’s story is a story of hope, of how love turned a seeming tragedy into a wondrous joy. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase. depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts in these youngsters. “We can offer assurances to those still struggling with coming out, or whose parents are still coming to terms with their orientation or identity, that that they will not be sent to a licensed therapist to change who they know themselves to be,” said Rep. Jack Lewis (D-Framingham) at the time of the vote. “This vote was an appalling assault on parental rights in the commonwealth,” said the president of the Massachusetts Family Institute Andrew Beckwith who opposed lifting the ban. “Over 140 of our state legislators apparently believe that parents should not be able to get gender-confused children any treatment, even counseling, that might help them avoid cross-sex hormone injections, sterility or ‘transition’ surgery. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino Sen. Jason Lewis Yes Yes Yes $200 MILLION IN CHAPTER 90 FUNDING FOR LOCAL ROADS (H 69) House 156-0, Senate 40-0, approved and the governor signed into law Senate a bill authorizing $200 million in onetime funding for the maintenance and repair of local roads and bridges in cities and towns across the state. The package is a bond bill under which the funding would be borrowed by the state through the sale of bonds. Other provisions include $200 million for rail improvements and $1.5 billion in bonding to allow for federal interstate repairs to advance. According to officials, 80 percent of the $1.5 billion would be reimbursed by the federal government. Supporters said the $200 million would help cities and towns keep their roads and bridges safe and allow many vital municipal road projects to move forward. No one voted against the bill but there are some legislators and city and town officials who say the same old $200 million that has been given since fiscal 2012 is insufficient. For several years, the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) has been seeking to increase the amount to $300 million. Advocates say that cities and towns maintain and repair 90 percent of the roadways in the Bay State. They note that because of revenue caps imposed by Proposition 2 1/2, cities and towns are very dependent on state funding to keep roads and bridges from crumbling. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul Donato Didn't Vote Rep. Steven Ultrino Sen. Jason Lewis Yes Yes HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK'S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature's job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of September 2-6, the House met for a total of one hour and four minutes while the Senate met for a total of 16 minutes. MON. SEPT. 2 No House session No Senate session TUES. SEPT. 3 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:17 a.m. WED. SEPT. 4 No House session No Senate session THURS. SEPT. 5 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:53 a.m. Senate 11:08 a.m. to 11:16 a.m. FRI. SEPT. 6 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com

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